Business school among top 50 for stewardship education

The Darla Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina has demonstrated significant leadership in integrating social, environmental and ethical issues into its MBA program, according to the Aspen Institute’s 2009 – 10 edition of “Beyond Grey Pinstripes,” a biennial survey and alternative ranking of business schools.

The Moore school ranked No. 42 on a list of the Top 100 business schools, ahead of such prestigious schools as Sloan at MIT, Kellogg at Northwestern University and the Thunderbird School of Global Management.

“This ranking demonstrates the Darla Moore school’s commitment to teaching and research that examines how business practices intersect with social, environmental and ethical issues,” said Hildy Teegen, dean of the Darla Moore school. “With our strategic focus on sustainable enterprise and development, we have sought to infuse our curriculum with these topics and to recruit outstanding faculty with expertise in these areas.”

The “Beyond Grey Pinstripes” survey examined the data from 149 schools worldwide to determine how well they are preparing future business leaders for the environmental, social and ethical complexities of modern-day business.

Judith Samuelson, executive director of the Aspen Institute’s Business and Society Program, called the Darla Moore school and other top schools “trailblazers.”

“The best business students move quickly into the front ranks of business, and the attitudes and values they bring to the table are deeply influenced by their time in business education,” said Samuelson. “Will they accept the status quo or act on their passion about the positive role business can play at the intersection of corporate profit and social impact? The schools that are competitive in the ‘Beyond Grey Pinstripes’ ranking are the real trailblazers. They assure that students have the right skill as well as the will to make things happen.”

Rich Leimsider, director of the Aspen Institute’s Center for Business Education, said “Beyond Grey Pinstripes” schools are ushering in a new approach to business.

“In these challenging economic times, the general public, not just scholars, are questioning whether the established models of business are broken,” said Leimsider. “‘Beyond Grey Pinstripes’ schools are thoughtfully pursuing new approaches. They are preparing students who take a more holistic view of business success, one that measures financial results as well as social and environmental impacts.”

Key findings from the survey:

The percentage of schools surveyed that require students to take a course dedicated to business and society issues has increased dramatically over time but at a slowing rate: 34 percent in 2001; 45 percent in 2003; 54 percent in 2005: 63 percent in 2007; 69 percent in 2009.

Since 2007, the number of elective courses offered per school that contain some degree of social, environmental or ethical content has increased by 12 percent, from 16.6 to 18.6 electives.

The proportion of schools offering general social, environmental or ethical content in required core courses has increased in many business disciplines – accounting, economics, finance management, marketing, operations management – since the last survey in 2007.

The percentage of schools requiring content in a core course on how mainstream business can act as an engine for social and environmental change remains low, at 30 percent.

Approximately 7 percent of faculty at the surveyed business schools published scholarly articles in peer-reviewed business journals that address social, environmental or ethical issues. The titles and abstracts of the 1,211 articles are available at www.BeyondGreyPinstripes.org.

The Aspen Institute maintains a searchable database of recognized curriculum at its Web site: www.BeyondGreyPinstripes.org. Featured Darla Moore school courses include “Organizational Behavior” and “Managing Cross-Border Teams,” both taught by Dr. Elizabeth Ravlin, and “Leadership and Ethical Behavior,” taught by Dr. David Sluss.

The Darla Moore school partners with the Aspen Institute to house curriculum honored with the Page Prize, an award sponsored by the Darla Moore school to recognize curricula from around the world that emphasize environmental sustainability. For more information on the prize, go to http:/moore.sc.edu/about/initiatives/pageprize2009.aspx.